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Planning commission approves 49 Julian Avenue condo project over community objections
Summary
The commission voted 4–2 to grant final approval for a conditional use permit for 49 Julian Avenue, despite residents and community organizations who warned the development could displace services provided by Arriba Juntos and harm local programs.
The San Francisco Planning Commission voted 4–2 to approve findings and final action on case 2005.0233C, allowing a condominium project at 49 Julian Avenue to proceed.
The decision followed more than three hours of public testimony from neighborhood groups and service providers who said the proposed development would undermine community services run near the site. Ricardo Garcia Costa of Northwest Community Response Network and other representatives of Arriba Juntos told commissioners the parking area adjacent to the site functions as a “safe haven” and hub for youth programs, food distribution and weekend flea markets, and that building condominiums next door would jeopardize those activities.
Project supporters, including owner representatives and proponents, said the proposal meets zoning and design requirements and would bring housing, jobs and tax revenue to the area. Lisa Mertens, an owner of 49 Julian, said the project “meets the zoning expectations” and pledged to support existing neighborhood programs.
Commissioners who supported the project said the site’s grandfathered entitlements and the small scale of the proposed building weigh in favor of approval. Commissioner Michael Antonini, who moved approval, said the project had been in process for years and was consistent with Eastern Neighborhoods policies. Commissioners opposing the project raised concerns about the loss of community-serving space and the social-justice implications of placing market-rate housing next to organizations serving vulnerable residents.
The motion to approve passed 4–2 with Commissioners Moore and Seguire voting no. The commission recorded the formal motion and findings at the hearing; no other remedial conditions were added to change the disposition of the conditional use permit.
What happens next: The commission’s approval authorizes the project to move forward subject to the conditions and standard permit review processes; any future modifications would return to the commission for review.
